Ronaldo scores twice as Portugal demolish Uzbekistan 5–0

Ronaldo runs riot, Uzbekistan hit for five

A brutal night in Philadelphia. Portugal 5–0 Uzbekistan in Group K on Tuesday, and Cristiano Ronaldo helped himself to two of them (1) (2). Your team never got a foothold. Ronaldo struck in the 6th and 39th minutes, becoming the first player in history to score in six different World Cups (2) (9) (10). Nuno Mendes added a second before the break, an own goal from Nematov made it four, and Rafael Leão capped it off late (2) (4) (8) (14).

'I'm back', Ronaldo ends his drought at Uzbekistan's expense

Ronaldo had not scored in his previous four matches for Portugal. He ended that run emphatically and made sure everyone heard about it afterward. "I'm back, I'm back," he said (2) (4). The Portuguese press flipped completely, "He is back," ran the front pages (15). Ronaldo added: "It's always like this!", a pointed response to his critics (11). Gary Neville pointed to the quality of service as the simple reason Ronaldo thrived: Bruno Fernandes ran the game behind him (14).

Zlatan: 'I thought he never left?'

Zlatan Ibrahimovic had the sharpest reaction to Ronaldo's "I'm back" line. "Je croyais qu'il n'était jamais parti?", "I thought he never left?" (6) (7). It was classic Zlatan, delivered with a smirk (7). Meanwhile, former Portugal defender José Fonte went the other way entirely, calling Ronaldo "the best in history" after the double (16).

Cannavaro's wait for a first win goes on

Fabio Cannavaro is still searching. Two World Cup matches as Uzbekistan head coach, two defeats, 3–1 to Colombia, then this 5–0 to Portugal (1) (2). Your team sit bottom of Group K with zero points. The defensive shape that showed promise against Colombia simply could not hold against Portugal's front line. Khusanov and the backline had no answer for Ronaldo's movement or Bruno Fernandes' passing.

Fan reactions

Uzbekistan fans are not the main voice in the Reddit threads after this one, United supporters are busy celebrating Bruno Fernandes' numbers: 94 touches, 85% pass accuracy, two big chances created (Reddit). Ronaldo's first-half brace has the Portuguese corners of the internet buzzing. For Uzbekistan, the silence is what stings most, a 5–0 loss that leaves the team needing a miracle to get out of Group K. See the full match discussion.